By Admin 
New York, the city that never sleeps in the world. Where dreams are sold and struggles are won. On November 4, when long queues formed at Matzaan centres, the city was electing its 111th mayor. As soon as the results came, one name echoed – Zohran Kwame Mamdani. This 34-year-old young MLA not only defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo, but also left behind Trump’s Republican Party’s Curtis Sliwa. Zoharan became the first Muslim mayor of the world’s largest and richest city. Zoharan is multi-religious, that is, father Mahmood Mamdani is Muslim, mother Mira Nair is Hindu and wife Kayla Santosuosso is American Christian. Therefore, by winning the mayor election, Zoharan has taught India a big lesson.
So let us understand in ABP Explainer how a Muslim became the mayor of a Christian-Jewish city, how big a thing it is to become the mayor of New York and what India can learn from Zoharan’s victory…
Question 1- How big is Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City and how was it achieved?
answer- New York is not just a city, but it is the economic engine of America. New York’s GDP in 2024 was more than 2.32 trillion. If we consider it as a country, it would be the 13th largest economy in the world. The city is a hub of finance, healthcare, tech, biotechnology, real estate and insurance.
There is Wall Street in New York, where global trade takes place. The policies here affect the national markets. One decision of the Mayor can change the business practice of the entire country. The headquarters of the United Nations (UN) is in New York, which talks about world peace. The population of this city is about 88 lakhs, of which 37% are immigrants. Mamdani’s victory is historic for progressives, as he is the first South Asian, first Muslim and the youngest mayor (34 years) since 1892.
Zohran Mamdani got victory due to these 4 big reasons…
- Inflation issue: Mamdani focused on only one thing in the entire campaign that New York has become very expensive. He said that the job of the government is to make people’s lives easier. Slogans written on the banners put up in his rallies were to build a city that we can afford and build affordable houses.
- Direct connection with the public: Most of the time in politics things are said in a twisted manner, but Mamdani spoke very clearly. He openly said that tax the rich, increase child care and make housing a right. Mamdani said in the campaign, ‘This city belongs to the workers, not to the 1% rich.’
- Correct use of internet: Mamdani did not get the support of big leaders of the party, but he took the help of the public and the internet. They held scavenger hunts, football tournaments, and late-night pop-up events at LGBTQ bars. According to the New York Times, he broke all the old rules and built relationships directly with people.
- Focus on youth workers: Mamdani increased the number of volunteers. The youth included in his campaign team are even younger than him. Most had little experience of working on such a large scale. But they proved to be more capable and effective than ordinary advisors and strategists.
Question 2- Zoharan’s multi-religious image, then how did he become the mayor of a Christian-Jewish city?
answer- Zoharan was born on 18 October 1991 in Kampala, Uganda. His father Mahmood Mamdani is a renowned academic, born in a Gujarati Muslim family in Mumbai. Mother Meera Nair was born in a Hindu Brahmin family in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He is a famous film director, who has made films like ‘Salaam Bombay’, ‘Monsoon Wedding’ and ‘Kama Sutra’. Whereas Zoharan’s wife is a Christian. Zoharan had a civil marriage in 2024 without religious rituals. Zoharan had said in an interview, ‘My family keeps religion private, but allows culture to breathe.’
Zoharan is a Shia Muslim, but he has become the mayor of a Christian-dominated city. According to the Pew Research Center report, New York has a 57% Christian population, of which 32% are Catholic Christians and 25% are Protestant Christians. Jews are 11%, Muslims are 9% and atheists are 25%. Still, 59% Christian voters supported Mamdani’s victory, because here voting is not on religion but on issues. Mamdani’s victory is a slap to those who weaponize religion. Cuomo made ‘Islamophobic attacks’ on Mamdani, but voters rejected. This shows that unity in diversity is possible. A Muslim mayor, who will work for everyone. Mamdani said in the victory speech, ‘I am a Muslim, but I am a mayor for the people.’
According to CBS News, Mamdani received 50.4% of the votes until 91% of the votes were counted. After him, independent candidate Cuomo got 41.6% votes, while Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa got 7% votes. Mamdano received more than 1 million votes, which no New York mayoral candidate had received since 1969. More than 20 lakh people voted in this election, which is double as compared to the previous election. This clearly shows that being a Muslim candidate does not matter, but the issues matter.
Question 3- How did Mamdani win despite the threats of US President Donald Trump?
answer- Trump tried hard to defeat Mamdani. Trump also threatened that if Mamdani won the election, New York’s federal funding would be cut. But Mamdani replied that these were threats, not laws. That is, despite the threat of the world’s most powerful President, the people of New York chose Mamdani, because New York is the bastion of democracy. Mamdani was born in Uganda and New York is populated by immigrants. Mamdani also benefited from this.
After Mamdani’s victory on November 5, Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth – ‘And now it has started.’
Question 4- What lesson does India learn from Zohran Mamdani’s victory?
answer- Dr. Rajan Kumar, foreign affairs expert and JNU professor, says, ‘The politics of India and America are completely different. There are more immigrants in New York, that is, people from different countries have come and settled. They focus on grassroots issues instead of religious politics. They want a leader who fulfills their daily needs and not one who divides on religion. Zoharan promised to solve grassroots issues, due to which he became mayor.
Dr. Rajan Kumar further says, ‘India should learn the politics of development from the New York elections. The youth of India wants development, wants jobs, wants low inflation and cheap things and is troubled by the corporate culture. If politicians contest elections on these issues then development like New York can happen here too. Today’s youth does not see temples and mosques, they see facilities. But the real thing is that the reins of the country are in the hands of old politicians and they want to do politics of religion. The real thing or the bitter truth is that Mamdani’s victory will have no impact in India, because no one here wants to learn from Mamdani’s victory.